Swansea Bay tidal lagoon project backed by independent review

Plans for the £1.3bn Swansea Bay tidal lagoon project have been backed by a UK Government commissioned review.

Carried out by Charles Hendry, the independent review says tidal lagoons can play a cost effective role in providing energy for the UK, and that there is 'considerable value in a small pathfinder project'.

The review recommends the Swansea Bay lagoon should act as this 'pathfinder' project, costing around 30p per household per year over the first 30-years.

It also recommends that the Swansea lagoon should be operational before moving forward with other larger scale lagoons across the UK in order to 'maximise learning'.

Commenting on the report, Charles Hendry said the benefits of investing in the project could be huge, not just in south Wales, but other parts of the country, and that the opportunity should be 'seized to move this technology forward'.

The report makes more than 30 other recommendations for delivering tidal lagoon energy schemes in order to bring maximum benefit to the UK. These include:

• Competitive tender processes for larger scale tidal lagoons

• A national Policy Statement for tidal lagoons- similar to nuclear new build, where specific sites are earmarked for development.

• The creation of a new Tidal Power Authority which is at arms-length from the Government.

Prior to publishing the review, Hendry, who was previously Minister of State for Energy, had been gathering evidence for nearly a year, visiting potential sites and meeting with industry exerts.

When built, the scheme will see a six-mile wall built around Swansea Bay, creating a lagoon in the Severn Estuary with turbines generating energy from the incoming and outgoing tides.

Before going ahead however, the project, which hopes to create more than 1,200 jobs, will still need a marine licence from Natural Resources Wales, as well as a green subsidy from the UK Government to make it commercially viable.

Following the publication of the review, Labour's Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Clive Lewis said Labour has 'high hopes for tidal energy', but that it was 'time to stop dithering and get it built.'

Elsewhere Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns, said it was now necessary to study the report, and 'decide how tidal lagoons could contribute to the nation's energy needs both in Wales and the rest of the UK'

Meanwhile with concerns from many environmental groups around the impact the scheme could have, Friends of the Earth said that while it welcomes clean energy, 'it was crucial any potential impacts on wildlife and the wider environment are properly considered and addressed before any new developments are given the go-ahead.'